folkartwork

I’m very excited and thrilled to introduce Linda DiLeva, the newest member of the FolkArtwork Collective.

Linda is a contemporary artist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. By day, she spends time with her two adorable children. By night, she “burns a candle” before her canvas, painting beautiful and vibrant one-of-a-kind works of art that “shine light on a girlish whimsy, with a twinge of melancholy”.

While she is not a self-taught artist, her passion and folk-art-inspired artwork were first brought to my attention at this year’s Outsider Art Fair. Linda was infatuated with a work by Jackie Bradshaw that featured a swan, which led to a conversation about one of her favorite artists, visionary abstract artist and mystic Hilma af Klint.

After our warm conversation and hearing her story of falling out of an art-making funk for years but finally getting back into it after becoming a mother, I knew she would be an excellent fit for the FolkArtwork Collective.

My favorite part of her artistic journey is hearing how excited her children are to wake up in the morning to see what new, wonderful creation she made while they slept!

LINDA DILEVA is an artist currently living and making art in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, and two young children. 

Artistically inclined since childhood, Linda studied Art and Philosophy at the University of North Florida, graduating in 2010. Life ensued and she did not make art for 10 years after that, until one day she had a vision that altered her perspective. Her desire and passion for creating returned, as well as, her heart opened up to having children. 

The wild, beautiful ride of motherhood took over but she kept making and creating here and there until finally she got to a point where the art was pouring out. Now days are filled with the most precious time with her children and the passion of making art at night. 

Linda’s art shines light on a girlish whimsy, with a twinge of melancholy. She takes imagery from the pages of her childhood (flowers, stars, mermaids, unicorns), and memories from the places that imprinted on her soul.  Her art explores dualities like togetherness/ isolation, a longing for nature, and the newfound perspective of motherhood while still striving for self, love, and friendship.   

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About the FolkArtwork Collective

It brings me great pleasure to introduce the FolkArtwork Collective — a fantastic group of self-taught and emerging artists from across the globe. Jackie Bradshaw, Esteban Whiteside, Sarah Lee, and Noel Hatfield are the first artists to bring original artwork directly to the FolkArtwork web store on both FolkArtwork.art/shop and directly on Instagram. I am very pleased to also add Reneesha Mccoy, Jordan Sullivan, Gabrielle K Brown, Christopher Bame, Max Kuhn, Ben Gardner and in 2024, Melody Jean Moulton, Dinah Hanson-Carrillo, Lindsay Carraway, Kathy Edwards Hayslett, Lorena Eliasen, and Mike Combs were added to the collective. And after a successful start to 2025 at the Outsider Art Fair, the FolkArtwork Collective is pleased to welcome Des Moines based artist Alexandre Shiffer and London based artist Lesley Miserables and Linda DiLeva with more to come!

After six years of running this account, sharing daily art by great outsider and self-taught artists who are no longer with us, I am thrilled to share this space with current artists to assist in their artistic journey and bring their artwork to the masses and maybe to a home near you.

I am excited to see FolkArtwork evolve and grow. It will continue to share daily outsider artwork by some of the greatest artists ever, pictures from travels across the country, visiting unknown and hidden art environments, and now offering original artwork for sale.